So, let’s talk about the cubicle, and more specifically, the work cubicle. To preface this post I did a little research on the cubicle and as I started to look at different cubicles, I started to feel restricted. I became less and less motivated as the time crept by. I think I actually acquired a cubicle phobia!! Seriously, do it. Just start looking at all the different types of cubicles on the net and see how you start to feel after a few minutes of doing it. It’s painful. At least for me it was.

Anyways, as I was looking up these cubicles, I ran across something hilarious. There are sites out on the internet that offer “Cubicle Etiquette!” Basically put, “how to behave in your cubicle.” I had to laugh and I am actually going to copy and past the etiquette right here for you all to read. Now, I have to give props to the person who wrote this information for having a desire to assist those who have chosen to experience the cubicle misery day in and day out. She has good intentions and deserves credit for her suggestions. However, why even choose to submit yourself to so much misery in the first place? That is beyond my comprehension. A $40,000 salary is definitely not worth the pain or even a 6 figure income for that matter. There are much more fun, creative, more exciting and fulfilling ways to make a heck of a lot more money.

Here is the “Cubicle Etiquette”:

PRIVACY

• Never enter someone’s cubicle without permission. Behave as though cubicles have doors. Do not enter before you have eye contact “permission” from the occupant.

• Try not to sneak up behind someone in a cube. Announce yourself at their doorway or lightly knock on the wall.

• Post a sign or flag at your cube entrance to signal when you can be interrupted. Avoid making eye contact with people if you don’t want to be interrupted.

• Don’t “prairie-dog” over the tops of cubes or peek in as you walk past each one.

• Don’t loiter outside someone’s cube while you wait for him or her to finish a phone call. Come back at another time.

• Never read someone’s computer screen or comment on conversations you’ve overheard. Resist answering a question you overheard asked in the cube next to you!

• Keep your hands off a cube dweller’s desk. Just because there’s no door doesn’t mean you can help yourself to their paper clips.

PHONES

• Try to pick up your phone after one or two rings. Set the ringer volume at a low level.

• Limit the use of speakerphones. If you must use one, keep the volume as low as possible. Use a meeting room for conference calls.

• Watch your volume when talking on the phone. A wireless headset can help keep your voice low.

• When you leave your cubicle, turn your phone ringer off and let it go to voicemail or forward your phone number to your new location.

• Never leave your cell phone behind in your cube without first turning it off or to vibrate.

• With personal or sensitive calls, be aware that your neighbors can hear your end of the conversation.

TALKING

• Use your “library voice”.

• Don’t talk through cube walls or congregate outside someone’s cube. For impromptu meetings, go to a conference room or break room.

• Don’t bring clients to your cube to meet with them. Go to an office or conference room.

• Don’t yell across the “cube farm”. Get up and move to the other person’s location.

GENERAL NOISE

• Use email or instant messaging to communicate silently with your coworkers.

• Play radios at low volumes or use a headset.

• Set your PC volume to a low level and turn off screensaver sound effects.

• Set pagers to vibrate.

• Work out an arrangement with your neighbors to take lunch breaks at different times. This will give each of you some quiet time in your cube.

• Eat quietly. Avoid gum-popping, humming, slurping and pen tapping.

SMELLS

• A good rule of thumb is to never eat hot food at your desk. Food odors can bother your hungry or nauseous neighbors.

• Perfume and cologne should be avoided in a cubicle arrangement. Your neighbors may have allergies.

• Keep an air freshener handy.

• Keep your shoes on!

There were some great suggestions in there for those of you who work in a cubicle. I wouldn’t be such a critic if I hadn’t worked in one myself. Whatever reason it is that landed you in a cubicle job, make it completely temporary. Certain people are meant for cubicle jobs and certain people have so much more potential. If you feel like you are the latter, kick the cubicle to the curb. I know for Amy and myself, it has been the most profitable decision we have ever made…and also the most liberating!

For the next 30 days I am going to take a challenge to arise before the sun does. Why am I doing this? Well, there are multiple reasons.

First, I am a father of three girls all under the age of 8 and for the most part, the only “Me” time I get is early in the morning. I use this time to educate myself. I once read a quote by Mark Twain, “Don’t let schooling interfere with your education.” If I am not learning, I am wasting my life away doing nothing. What good am I and what difference can I make in the world if I am not making a difference in my life. Educate yourself! Learn as much as you can. As you do, apply it and use it to serve and inspire others.

Second, there is a power spoken of in ancient scripture about arising early. I certainly don’t write all these blog posts just to write them. I do it to teach people what I have learned. Scriptures were written to teach wisdom. Amazingly enough, the principles taught thousands of years ago still work today, and may even be working better today than then. Just as I write, they have written, with the intent for others to read. Scripture reads, “Retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated.”

Third, I take a moment every morning to express my gratitude for all that I have and know. This is actually the first thing I do every morning. Unless I am grateful for what I currently have, I will never be blessed with more. As I take the time to think of all the abundance in my life, more abundance is added to it throughout the day.

Fourth, I set goals in the morning and come up with some of my best ideas. My mind is rested and fresh. Ideas just pour in like rain in the morning time. It is a self mastery period for me. Visualizing, goal setting, thinking of ways to improve, saying affirmations and setting courses of action for the day are a few of the things I do. For all you fisherman, remember, the big fish are always caught in the morning!

During this challenge I will think of 5 new ideas that will move me toward my goals, every morning. At the end of 30 days, I will have a ton of new ideas to work with, of which, many will already be put into action. I will have my journal on hand to keep record of these ideas as they come to me. I challenge each of you to do the same.

Think about the power that comes with arising early on your own terms. What I mean by, “your own terms,” is doing it not because you have to, but because you choose to. If you are employed and are compelled to get up before the sun does, wake up a little earlier on your own terms. Claim victory on your day instead of giving credit to someone else or doing it because you have to. It will change your outlook. I promise.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I love getting up early. I love it even more than sleeping in, but it can be hard, if you’re not in the habit of doing it. Once that habit is created, it is as easy as brushing your teeth every morning. So starting tomorrow, June the 6th 2009, I’ll beat the sun up.

If you’d like to take this challenge along with me, congratulations! Let me know your thoughts and experiences! See you in the morning!

I think there may be a little confusion as to what the term, “Time Freedom,” really is. So many people are seeking it, yet very few really find it. Time Freedom is a concept. It’s a lifestyle and so much more. It’s what allows Fathers to truly be a powerful influence in the lives of their children. It makes it possible for mothers to really and actually be the “Stay at home Mom!” It’s the freedom that allows you to persue your dreams, hobbies and ambitions without restraint. It is probably the most sought after thing in the world.

A lot of people associate Time Freedom with Financial Freedom. Financial Freedom can be obtained while taking all of your free time to obtain it. So many sacrifice their time freedom to get the financial freedom. On the flipside of the coin, a bum has all the time freedom in the world yet, no money! So you can have one without the other.

The big difference is, you can always get more money, but can never really get more time. The clock of life is ticking and when the batteries run out, our time to make a difference in this world is over. The ideal lifestyle is to have them both. Have the money and the time to enjoy it!

Here are a few things that are NOT Time Freedom, just to be clear:

1. 2 weeks of paid vacation from your employer.
2. Weekends off from your business or employer.
3. Only having to work 40 hours a week.
4. 2 or 3 hours in the evenings to devote to family time and hobbies.
5. Summers off, as most teachers get.
6. The ability to take a day off here or there or swap work days for a family event.
7. Having Sick Days!

Now that there is zero confusion, time freedom is a very simple thing to define, and it means doing whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want, or just not doing it at all, if you don’t want. That’s it! True time freedom is being in complete control of your day. No boss to take orders from, no schedule to rule your day, no job to take you away from your true passions, no business that robs you of your personal life. It’s having complete and absolute control. If you wake up in the morning and feel like taking a drive out of town with your family, you do it. If you feel like not working at all that day, it’s your choice.

Now the trick is to be able to do all that you want to do, while still having the income flowing in. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a simple way to get them both, Time Freedom and Financial Freedom? If I knew the way, or at least one of the many ways, would you be interested to know? And once you found out how I do it, and thousands of others have done it, will you believe that it can happen for you?

That’s the key! Will you believe it can and will happen for you?

What do you think it means when you see or hear the phrase, “Take Control of Your Life?” First off, does it resonate with you at all? Are you inspired to make it happen, to take control?

Well, either it does or it doesn’t. Either you completely understand or you don’t at all. There is no in between on this one. And if you don’t understand, that’s alright. I am here to educate you, to open your eyes a little and to show you the life you should be living, but have simply not yet chosen to.

Take Control of Your Life

So what does “Take Control” truly mean?  Taking control involves actually getting off your butt and doing something about your situation. It entails going where you want, creating what you want, making sure you get what you want and having the foresight to even see what you want before you create it in reality. That is control and any variance if it puts you in in a situation where you are being controlled by something else.

For instance, someone might decide to take control in their own life by going out and making it happen by finding the job or their dreams. Now, what have they just done? They took control, went up to another person/company and handed them the reins and said, “I would like you to control my life for “x” amount of dollars!” Taking control is not going to a job so that someone else can tell you how to live your life. Taking control involves you making the big decisions, not someone else.

How do you know if you are in control? What did you do today? Were you in control of your time, your money, your life, or was it a boss or punch clock at work. Think about it. What have you given control to? Did any of your action and decisions today move you closer to your ultimate lifestyle, or did it just move your closer to paying the bills knowing that it starts all over again tomorrow?

The good news is…..it’s temporary. It can be changed.

Quick story: This is how we finally decided to take control. At first, I thought taking control was getting my dream job, because that is how I was raised. I soon learned, through my training in the military, my dream job was going to give me absolutely zero control over my life. I wanted to be a helicopter pilot. So, we started this business after a long lesson from the Army. We initially spent around $1500 to get started. That was a big deal to us, but not really, now that I look back. $1500 is not a lot of money! If you think it is, you have not yet decided to take control of your financial life. I knew what income I wanted, and at this stage, it would take another $20,000 to reach it.

So here Amy and I were. We were at a crossroad. We didn’t have $20,000 in the bank to invest. We had two options: We could allow our circumstance to dictate us, which was a lack of money, or we could continue to move forward and stay in front of the steering wheel. Now, I could see very clearly what my life would be like if I could just get to that next level. To do that, I had to find the $20,000. Yet, I was still in my situation. I didn’t have the money, but what did I do? Did I hang my head and droop my shoulders and give up the control? No!! I figured it out and found the money! I took control of my own life and did something about it. I made sure my life went in the direction I wanted it to. I paved the road with my own two hands and then I walked! I took action. I made sure it would happen! I did! Not someone else. I did.

Taking control of your life may be, and most likely will be, uncomfortable. It’s uncomfortable because it involves change. Changes, out of ambition, that you make to your own life are always good, regardless of how uncomfortable it gets. You should get comfortable doing the uncomfortable.

Think about what you truly want. Make a plan to get there. Then take MASSIVE action and ensure that it happens. You are the only one that can, and the only one willing to do it! Make it happen. It’s your life. You’ve only got one!

This morning I was obligated to take a drive with my one year old daughter. We took this drive at 5 AM in attempts to get this little girl to sleep. I had been up with her since 3 AM and enough was enough. The good news, it worked! The bad news, I only got 2 hours of sleep last night. I’ll live!

As I was driving around, I saw cars idling in their driveways warming up for the trip to work, people coming out of their homes and apartments in their work uniforms, contractors pulling up to job sites and it was barely 5 in the morning. Now, I live in a small town where the commuting time isn’t huge, so I know that these people would most likely be starting work at 6 in the morning.  As the time went on and 6 Am started rolling in, the streets were full of people heading to work.

It seems as though the so called “9 to 5” job is no longer only 9 to 5. In fact, I don’t think it has ever been 9 to 5. It is more like a 6 to 6! If you think about your time spent getting ready for the job and traveling to and from the job, it should all be counted. It is time spent for someone other than you and yours. That is time spent that you are not getting paid for. Take into account how much time, if added up over a few years or even a lifetime, that you are wasting in preparation for your job. Let’s say on average it takes 30 minutes to get ready, 60 minutes to commute to and from, and 30 minutes to get, so called, “unready.” That is 2 hours a day. Over a one year period, you have spent an average of 10 hours a week, 40 to 50 hours a month and around 520 hours a year preparing to get paid for your time instead of getting paid for your time.

What if you invested that time into a business opportunity of your own? I can tell you that I know people who have, like myself, made more in a 10 hour work week than most people make in an entire year! It’s all about getting paid for your results instead of your time. There is only so much time, but results are unlimited.

Since our move from Pinetop to Payson Arizona we have been able to enjoy a few quick trips down to the Phoenix area. Where it would take 3 hours from Pinetop it now is only an hour away and so these few quick trips happen a little more often. This past Saturday we decided to do a quick trip to the Phoenix Zoo. So we packed the kids in the car and took off.

The Zoo was pretty packed when we got there. We actually drove around for 25 minutes before we finally found a spot, and guess where it was? It was right up front!! That’s the law of attraction in the works right there!

The kids had a blast. Animals, Kennel Corn and Snow Cones make up for a great time when you have children. It was cool to see the excitement on their faces. I asked them what their favorite part was and you won’t believe what they told me. When we were looking at the Rhinos, one of them decides to let go of nearly 50 lbs of dung and urine no further than 20 feet from us. So yeah, that was their favorite part!

The point of my post is not to tell you of the great time we had but to speak about Elephants. Here is an interesting fact that you all may not be aware of: Elephants in captivity die 20 years sooner than those that live in the wild! Elephants in the wild will travel nearly 25 miles a day where animals in captivity don’t. Now the biggest killer of Elephants in captivity is their feet. Zoo keepers are constantly cleaning and taking special care of their feet because they don’t have the opportunity to wear down the bottoms of their feet while in captivity while those that live in the wild have little trouble at all. Elephants in the wild will normally live up to around 80 years old.

You know, I think there is a little more to it. The professionals blame these early deaths on foot trouble and that may be part of the issue, but let me throw this idea out there. The elephants natural home involves a seven letter word, “Freedom!” They go from traveling 25 miles a day in the open to maybe just 5 miles of the same old cage. Even if they were born in captivity, it still runs through their veins. They are animals that were created to be free and to roam in their domain. How would that feel to know you were capable of more, yet, you were being constrained or held back from what should be natural?

It is amazing to see the growth in the people I assist every day in this business. Especially when they are coming from a place of captivity. If we all truly understood what we were capable of, the world would be a very different place!

I would be interested to know the average life expectancy of a person that works in a cubicle for an employer for his entire life versus an entrepreneur who travels frequently and has complete control over his time. I bet the stats are somewhat similar. I know for sure which of those two people would experience the most joy in life.

You see, there are different forms of captivity. When you take a look at an Elephant in the zoo, one might think, “Wow, now that’s captivity!” On the other hand, is being cooped up in a job any different. It’s basically a lighter form of house arrest. We can call it ‘commercial arrest’. After you are finished doing your time, you are allowed to go home for a few hours for relaxation, but, you had better be back the next day to do it all over again. What sounds enticing about that?

My advice: Make absolute certain that you are living your life as freely as you possibly can. You will be happier, you will experience more joy and you will live longer. And I sure hope it doesn’t take a trip to the zoo to help you realize that!